Monitoring and surveillance of genetically modified higher plants

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There is an urgent need for guidelines to monitor genetically modified higher plants (GMHP), as biotech crops are now widely cultivated in North America and are expected to enter the European market soon. Effective monitoring and surveillance programs must be established to detect any negative environmental effects when these crops are released, aligning with the European Commission's intentions to integrate monitoring into biotechnology regulations. Unlike traditional environmental monitoring that focuses on chemical pollutants, monitoring biological systems emphasizes organism survival and interactions, which presents significant challenges due to the complexity of these interactions and the variability in responses. Issues related to spatial and temporal parameter variation complicate monitoring efforts, but the use of "baselines" may offer some solutions. The book addresses these challenges and aims to provide practical solutions for GMHP monitoring. Initiated in 1998, this project follows two earlier publications that compiled current test methods for the risk assessment of GMHP, contributing to the ongoing discourse on effective monitoring strategies.